Orfeo II
(1975) — An improvisation on a theme
Duration: 14'
for solo flute and fifteen strings
Commissioned by the BBC Transcription Services

See also Orfeo I and Orfeo III

World Premiere:  28 March 1976, Los Angeles
David Shostac, flute
Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra
the composer conducting

First UK Performance: 1976, Cheltenham Festival
James Galway, flute
Orchestra of St Martins in the Fields
Sir Neville Marriner, conductor

Publisher:  Novello & Co Ltd

Critical Acclaim:

Thea Musgrave's Orfeo II in its concert version for 15 strings and solo flute conjured up quite alot of legendary magic with the help of some of Neville Marriner's Academy and James Galway. It is a gift to any flautist, but James Galway's imaginative handling and immaculate phrasing made Orpheus' tragic history come vividly to life.
— Elizabeth Webster, Music & Musicians

...It is a lovely work, full of ethereal shimmer and clever pathos. Ms Musgrave has created a striking 14-minute opera in which the hero happens to be played by a flute, the heroine by a distant violin, and the chorus — a Greekish chorus — by fourteen attending strings.

The composer elegantly mixes expressive idioms here, her own lean modernism conveying the anguish of the bereaved Orpheus and a transparent distillation of Gluck (mostly "Che faro..") providing the otherworldly memories of Euridice. The protagonist's vain search for a forbidden past is depicted in economical, sometimes even literal strokes — strokes which have extraordinary cohesion and dramatic thrust in their favor.
— Martin Bernheimer, Los Angeles Times

Composer's Note:

This work was originally commissioned by the BBC Transcription Service for James Galway as a work for solo flute and tape (Orfeo I): all the music on the tape would be an electronically treated recording of James Galway playing a variety of different flutes. It was first performed by him in this version in 1976.

Orfeo II was written shortly after, and here all the music on the tape was distributed amongst 15 strings.

Though this work is intended as a concert piece, it was also projected as a ballet for solo male dancer. It is a simple retelling of the famous legend. The flute (and dancer) represent Orfeo; all the other elements and characters in the story are represented by the music on the tape or on the strings. In any staged version they must remain invisible, though their presence can be indicated by lighting effects or even projections: Orfeo's journey to the underworld exists only in his imagination. To heighten the effect of this separation of reality and imagination, much of the music of Euridice, the Furies, the Shades, is suggested by "memory elements" that is, quotations from the Orfeo of Gluck. They are woven into the fabric of the music. The whole work is thus focussed on Orfeo; on his mourning for Euridice and his vain attempts to recover her. In the end he has to resign himself to her loss.

Scenario:

1. Orfeo laments.
   Orfeo stands alone on the banks of the river Styx and grieves for Euridice. He hears a distant echo of her voice and he listens. Then it disappears and Orfeo in despair pleads with Charon to ferry him across the river so that he may search for her.
   
   
2. Orfeo crosses the river Styx.
   Charon consents to listen to Orfeo's plea. The waves of the river begin to ripple and then surge up and part. Orfeo crosses to the other side.
   
   
3. Orfeo calms the Furies.
   Orfeo is confronted by the Furies and he pleads with them. They gradually quieten as they respond to his eloquence. They allow him to proceed, but on one condition...that when he finds Euridice, he must not look at her until he has returned back to the other side of the river.
   
   
4. Orfeo searches amongst the Shades.
   Orfeo searches amongst the Shades for Euridice. He hears her approaching...he steps towards her, then, remembering the words of the Furies turns decisively away from her and shields his eyes.
   
   
5. Orfeo hears Euridice's pleas.
   Orfeo hears Euridice's insistent pleas to turn and look at her...he cannot resist and he turns. Euridice vanishes forever.
   
   
6. Orfeo is attacked by the Bacchantes.
   Orfeo is at once violently attacked by the Bacchantes. he makes a last desperate plea to recover Euridice, but he finds himself back on the banks of the river Styx alone and desolate.

Recordings:

Orfeo II: An Improvisation on a Theme
New Zealand Chamber Orchestra
Nicholas Brathwaite, condocutor
Alexa Still, flute
Koch 37140-2
———
English Chamber Orchestra
Richard Bernas, conductor
William Bennett, flute
Abigail Youngt, violin obligato
BEEP BP-33

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